“For the Sake of Morality and Civilization”: The Buddhist Animal Protection Movement in Republican China

Abstract:In 1930s China, there emerged an animal protection movement that was closely tied to both Buddhist activism and contemporary political discourses. Harking back to a long-standing tradition of kindness to animals, in 1934 Buddhist activists from the Pure Land school founded the China Society for the Protection of Animals, which campaigned against the mistreatment and killing of animals. Chinese activists argued that animal cruelty produced bad karma, weakened human morality, and caused interpersonal violence. In a period when concern over public morality loomed large, animal protection appeared to be a powerful means to build a “civilized” nation. Ingeniously playing on both local traditions and international discourses, the Chinese animal protection movement gained broad news coverage and support from the Nationalist government. Although it was cut short by the Second Sino-Japanese War, it provides important insights into the intricacies of animal protection in the Chinese cultural sphere that resonate to this day.